Monday, July 20, 2009

My comment:That French talking mule reminds me of the time Boudreaux sold raffle tickets on his mule, but that's a long story. A shorter one is the time we saw a skinny blind mule at the auction. The ex fell in love with it, naturally, she loved most anything of the equine nature. The only bidder on it was #500, the canner. He bid $20. The ex looked at me with that pleading look and I bumped the bid up a whole dollar. The canner bid $22, then must have figured we would rehabilitate that old mule because he let me buy it for $22.50.The next day we drove up in a Dodge 3/4 ton to pick up the mule. The ex, being smarter than me, argued the whole way that mule would never load up in that truck. I asked her politely to back into the nearest ditch, telling her son John (age 15) and I would drop the tailgate and get some ropes if she'd go lead out her mule. As she led the mule out one of our friends drove up pulling his four horse trailer, and he politely offered to help. She, again knowing more than me, loaded the mule in his trailer and rode past waving gaily and pointing toward the house, as John and I stood there twiddling our fingers and whistling "Dixie."Our friend delivered the mule to our house, and I insisted he take twenty dollars for his gas. This was before the price of oil went up, but not before the price of blind mules doubled. The ex headed toward the back yard with her mule, but I stopped her, asking her to back the truck up to our driveway, which was on an incline. I took the mules lead rope, dropped the tail gate, slid out a 2x6, put one of the mule's hooves on it, and told him to load up, and he tippy-toed into the truck like a ballet dancer!The equine expert's jaw had dropped open, but she managed to ask how I'd known the mule would load in a truck. Well, I explained, he'd gotten blind somehow, and since he was the perfect size for a coon-hunting mule it was only logical he'd done it running through the woods behind the hounds. How do most coon hunting mules get to the woods? In the back of a truck, of course! That old mule sure did love riding in trucks.

2 comments:

They saved the British at Gallipolli. Aussies brought them in when the British were in a bind. Your readers woudl benefit from readign about Mules. THey are fine animals and far superior for many uses than a horse.

I've always heard it said a good mule can outwork a good horse, though my Dad always preferred horses, even for plowing. I have to say I agree with my Dad, with reservations. I think a mule may be too smart to do some things I've asked them to do, while a horse that trusted me would charge on in at 35 miles an hour.